A McCree buff and a D.Va nerf are coming to the Overwatch PTR

Olivia Richman Published 27/05/2019

There is a new update on Overwatch’s Public Test Region, and it includes updates to six heroes that may be hitting live servers in the near future.

Baptiste Buff

Baptiste’s Biotic Launcher has increased ammo in the PTR, up from 10 to 12. His Amplification Matrix also has an extended duration, from eight to 10 seconds. This will allow the support’s team to rally around his ultimate more successfully, since they’ll have more time to get into position.

Even the game’s developers believed that Baptiste would have an impact on competitive Overwatch. But so far that hasn’t been true. This change may make him a bit more viable in the OWL.

D.Va Nerf

D.Va’s Defense Matrix has made her a staple in the omnipresent GOATS meta. It’s also made her the fifth most picked hero in the Overwatch League. With the PTR, Blizzard is looking to take away some of the power of D.Va’s Defense Matrix. The ability’s range has now been shortened from 15 to 10 meters, which is most likely going to to make D.Va mains pay more attention to their positioning.

Torbjorn Nerf

The turret builder’s Rivet Gun had its secondary fire damage reduced from 12.5 to 10.5.

“The combined damage output of Torbjörn’s secondary fire with his Overload ability was too high given his recently increased survivability,” Blizzard developers explained on the official patch notes.

McCree Buff

McCree’s Peacekeeper received a notable buff on the PTR. Its primary fire recovery was reduced from 0.5 seconds to 0.4 seconds. It may not seem that significant, but developers discussed that the cowboy’s damage output wasn’t “quite making up” for the relatively low mobility or utility of his kit.

“Reducing his weapon’s recovery time improves the potential damage output without affecting the number of successful shots to kill an enemy,” developers noted.

Orisa Buff

Orisa’s protective barrier can now be deployed without interrupting her reload. This is important because the tank has one of the longest weapon reloads in the game. The developers felt this was “too disruptive” to her gameplay, and this change will allow her to reload while still protecting her team effectively.

Symmetra Buff

An increased range, from 1 meter to 1.5 meters, has improved Symmetra’s Teleporter ability.

“This is primarily a quality of life improvement, as it was possible to create a teleporter that Symmetra was unable to interact with unless she moved toward it.”

The May 23 update also introduced replays. This new feature allows players to watch their ten most recent matches from any vantage point. This includes first-person, third-person, or even a bird’s-eye view. This will help players work on their strategies and overall map knowledge.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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